How to Fold a Cootie Catcher

There are so many different shapes that paper can be folded into for entertainment purposes. One of the classic shapes that many have probably heard of, if not actually performed several times as a child, is that of a cootie catcher. This paper shape is one that you fold in order to use it to play a childhood game.

Things You'll Need

Piece of paper

Make the piece of paper into a square if it isn't already. To do this, diagonally fold one of the corners over to the opposing edge of the paper. If the paper is already square then simply make the diagonal fold, bringing one corner to meet the one diagonal from it.

Remove the remaining rectangle of paper to make a square piece of paper.

Make another diagonal fold by bringing the other two corners together and creasing the fold. You should now have creases that extend from one corner diagonally to another forming an X across the square piece of paper.

Bring the corners of the square up to the cross of the X in the center of the square and crease this fold. Do this for all the corners of the square.

Flip the now smaller square piece of paper over.

Fold the corners of the smaller square in to the center of the square; there will still be an X in the center of this square. Do this for all the corners.

Fold this, a now even smaller square, in half to form a rectangle and crease the fold. Undo that fold and fold it in half the other way and make a crease.

Other People Are Reading

Slip your fingers underneath the square flaps on the outside of your cootie catcher, as shown in the picture, with the cootie catcher still folded in half from the last step.

Push the cootie catcher outside flaps open by pushing the two halves together, forcing the flaps to pop open.

Tips & Warnings

When you label a completed cootie catcher, numbers go on the outside most flaps (the ones your fingers go under), colors go on the next layer of flaps, and questions go on the very inside of the cootie catcher, underneath the inside flaps.